Pixies’ classic surfer pink song “Where Is My Mind?” is the new opening theme for all elite wrestling extremely laid-back star Orange Cassidy. Orange was named the Most Popular Wrestler of 2020 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
“I played it for him a few weeks ago, he said he loved it. I asked if he wanted me to try to license it, he gave me his ‘thumbs up’, ”AEW CEO Tony Khan said in a statement to Pitchfork. “I signed a multi-year agreement to use the song, and any use of the song in AEW will stay in our content library forever.”
In the past few months, AEW – a promotion founded in 2019 – has spent money licensing Tom Waits ‘”Ol’ 55″ for a tribute to the late Brodie Lee and Baltimora’s “Tarzan Boy” for joining Jungle Boy. Khan says he tried “about a year and a half” to license Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” to Orange Cassidy (because of the wrestler’s affiliation with the song in the independent wrestling scene) but never received a “formal response or notice” that she was were interested. “
The practice of licensing established popular songs as input music is rare in major wrestling promotions. The WWE’s opening themes are largely created by an in-house music team. Big stars are sometimes hired to create completely new songs. Snoop Dogg has reshuffled entry themes for wrestlers in WWE and AEW. WWE licensed Living Colors “Cult of Personality” for CM Punk and Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” for Ronda Rousey, but overall, very few wrestlers go to popular, established, or popular songs. The Road Warriors often had to be content with a tee shot from Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”.
Pitchfork reached out to Pixies representatives. 4AD, the label that released the song, didn’t offer Pitchfork a comment.
